Biographical information

Early life

Howard was born in Los Angeles, California. He began studying music as a child and went on to attend the Thacher School in Ojai, California, the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, and later majored in piano performance at the University of Southern California. After leaving college, he toured with Elton John as a keyboardist during the late 1970s and early 1980s and was part of the band that played behind John in Central Park, New York, on September 13, 1980. Howard also arranged strings for several of Elton's songs during this period, including the hits "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word", as well as playing additional keyboards and synthesizers on several of Elton's studio albums, including "Rock of The Westies" (1975), "Blue Moves" (1976), "21 At 33" (1980), and "The Fox" (1981).

After his tenure with Elton John, Howard toured briefly with Crosby, Stills and Nash before moving into film music in the mid-1980s. Howard did, however, return for a brief collaboration with Elton John on the final night of John's Australia tour in December 1987. Howard conducted both his own and Paul Buckmaster's arrangements during the second half of the set, which focused on orchestrated performances of selected songs from John's catalog. After his father died, Howard learned from his grandfather that his family was Jewish.

Awards

2013: Won an ASCAP Award for The Bourne Legacy (Top Box Office Films)

2013: Won an ASCAP Award for The Hunger Games' (Top Box Office Films)

2013: Won an ASCAP Award for Snow White and the Hunstman (Top Box Office Films)

2012: Won an ASCAP Award for Gnomeo & Juliet (Top Box Office Films)

2012: Won an ASCAP Award for The Green Hornet (Top Box Office Films)

2012: Won an ASCAP Award for Green Lantern (Top Box Office Films)

2011: Won an ASCAP Award for The Last Airbender (Top Box Office Films)

2011: Won an ASCAP Award for Salt (Top Box Office Films)

2011: Won an ASCAP Award for The Tourist (Top Box Office Films)

2010: Won an ASCAP Award for Duplicity (Top Box Office Films)

2010: Won an ASCAP Award for Shopaholic (Top Box Office Films)

2009: Won an ASCAP Award for The Dark Knight (Top Box Office Films)

2009: Won an ASCAP Award for The Happening (Top Box Office Films)

2009: Won a Grammy Award for The Dark Knight (Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media)

2009: Won an OFCS Award for The Dark Knight (Best Original Score)

2009: Won a Saturn Award for The Dark Knight (Best Music)

2008: Won an Austin Film Critics Award for The Dark Knight (Best Original Score)